Relationships Between Personality And Reproductive Health And Its Related KAB Among Married Women In Child-bearing Age In Rural Anhui

Objectives This study aims at investigating personality, reproductive health and its related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among married women in child-bearing age in rural AnHui and exploring the relationships between these variables.Methods A total of 1398 married women under 45 were drawn from three counties in Anhui province using convenience cluster sampling. The concise IPIP-NEO inventory tailed to local culture via rounds of field piloting and structured questions on reproductive health and its related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors were used in collecting data. The questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers at the responders'households. 1221 completed questionnaire were collected. The data were analyzed via SPSS statistical analysis software using mainly descriptive and linear correlation analysis.Results (1) The respondents got relatively high mean scores (>70) on both extraversion and conscientiousness, but relatively low scores (<55) on the dimension of neuroticism and openness to experience. (2) The respondents'answeres to reproductive health-related knowledge questions were 44.99% correct; The rating against disapproval of high risk behaviors was 2.86 (total 3); The behavior score concering codom using was only 2.17(total 4); The score of social support was 3.22 (total 4). (3)Their average age of menarche was (15.16±1.68) years old; The menstrual cycle was (29.02±4.19) days; and the duration of menstrual period was (4.73±1.62) days. (4)The prevalence of premenstrual depression was 14.6% and of premenstrual anxiety, 6%. The order of frequency of premenstrual phycial symptoms was fullness in lower abdomen, distention in the breasts, headaches etc. (5) The respondents'reproductive health-related knowledge was positively related with extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience (r=0.084, 0.163, 0.141 and 0.215, P<0.01); while negatively related with neuroticism (r=-0.086, P<0.01). Personality and reproductive health-related knowledge have a statistically significant relationship among women above 40; while such relationship was not found among women of higher education. (6) The rating on disapproval of high risk behaviors was negatively related with extraversion and openness to experience (r=-0.063 and -0.092, P<0.01) and positively related with conscientiousness (r=0.078, P<0.01). The rating on disapproval of people engaging in risk behaviors was positively related with agreeableness and conscientiousness (r=0.096 and 0.095, P<0.01). (7) The respondents'reproductive health-related behaviors was positively related with extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience (r=0.069, P<0.05; r=0.114, 0.154 and 0.162, P<0.01); while negatively related with neuroticism (r=-0.071, P<0.05). (8) Their social support was positively related with extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience (r=0.231, 0.132 and 0.219, P<0.01; r=0.062, P<0.05); while negatively related with neuroticism (r=-0.188, P<0.01). (9) The abnormality of menstrual period was positively related with neuroticism (r=0.072, P<0.05), while negatively related with extraversion (r=-0.062, P<0.01). The abnormality of duration of menstrual period was positively related with agreeableness and neuroticism (r=0.070 and 0.063, P<0.05); while negatively related with extraversion (r=-0.085, P<0.01).The abnormality of menstrual cycle was positively related with neuroticism (r= 0.097, P<0.01); while no statistically significant relationships was found between the age of the first menarche and personality. The respondents'dysmenorrheal and premenstrual physical symptoms were both positively linked to neuroticism (r=0.135 and 0.167,P<0.01) and openness to experience (r=0.107 and 0.169,P<0.01). (10) The score of premenstrual anxiety was positively related with neuroticism and openness to experience (r=0.270 and 0.194, P<0.01). The score of premenstrual depression was positively related with neuroticism and openness to experience (r=0.293 and 0.216, P<0.01); while negatively related with agreeableness and conscientiousness (r= -0.059 and -0.061,P<0.05).Conclusions The reproductive health and related knowledge, attitudes and practices among married women in rural Anhui need to be improved. Statistically significant relationships were found between personality and reproductive health and its related knowledges, attitudes, behaviors, suggesting that future interventions should take personality into account.